Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure Okoye figure review
Yeah, this one is a tad overdue. In fairness though I just finally got the Killmonger figure at a decent price so I could complete the Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure Okoye.
Danai Gurira helped make Okoye a standout character in a film full of memorable additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe ranks in Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Okoye was a glaring absence in my Black Panther display area so I decided it was time to get that last leg and bring her to the fold. Let’s find out if she was worth the wait.
Packaging: There’s nothing in this category of course although as usual I wish Hasbro would include a BAF bio in the standard packaging with the various waves.
Likeness: The tricky thing with movie figures is sometimes Hasbro gets an earlier design than the final version we see in the film. For the most part, Hasbro’s version of Okoye passes the quick eye test until you compare it with reference photos. I won’t knock Hasbro too much here as Okoye had a very intricate design with a lot showing up from the paint work.
Okoye’s necklace fringe, the torso strip and the arm bands are the biggest omission. Given a little more lead time and assuming there’s not massive changes to the design for the sequel, I’m confident Hasbro will do a better job reflecting the source material. Again, Hasbro did put a lot of work into this outfit especially for this scale so I won’t complain too much.
Gurira’s likeness is somewhat tricky. From some angles it looks great while in other perspectives it needs some work. I think it’s that the expression is too neutral and lacks that questioning or authoritative take I associate more with Okoye. Maybe a more intense secondary head sculpt would have been useful?
Scale: Okoye is just a bit taller than the regular Dora Milaje and slightly shorter than Black Panther, which seems to be an appropriate scale from the actors.
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Paint: Okoye’s paintwork is both impressive and disappointing. It’s impressive given the scale of the figure and how there’s no slop or runover with even the smaller elements. The gold parts pop nicely and details like her head tattoo are clean.
On the disappointing front it’s because the paintjob doesn’t take full advantage of the sculpted elements that seem to reflect the source material properly. With more paint applications — and I realize there’s a lot here already — it would have added to the screen authenticity.
Articulation: Okoye can hit reasonably deep stances and ranged fighting poses. The skirt material isn’t so hard that it restricts movement and her joints are nice and tight.
My biggest disappointment here was the complete inability to do a remotely convincing Wakanda Forever pose. Bicep articulation probably would have helped there and aid in even deeper spear poses.
Okoye has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbows
- wrists
- waist
- hips
- thighs
- knees (double-jointed)
- ankles
- tail
Accessories: Okoye comes with her spear. It’s cast in a light plastic. It’s not the most screen accurate as it’s actually more complicated with the design at the top portion while lacking the grips in the middle sections. The figure spear lacks the colors or finer details as well and looks very plain.
Worth it? This wave costs $130, but it’s one of the better waves with a full set of worthwhile figures. That helps balance out the price tag for a smaller BAF.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
You can’t have a Black Panther shelf without Okoye. Hasbro did a pretty good job, but I’d love to see another crack at this figure with greater resemblance to the screen version.
Where to get it? You can still get the full set from Amazon or Big Bad Toy Store.
Photo Credit: Disney